From jh@sid.dk Fri Apr 26 20:56 IDT 2002
From: jh@sid.dk
To: yechiel
Subject: Autosvar - Ikke til stede: Israelies guts feelings
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2002 19:57:41 +0200

Tak for din mail - Jeg bliver i øjeblikket bombarderet med vrede mails
p.g.a. SiD´s boykot af Israelske varer derfor dette automatiske svar
jeg kan kontaktes telefonisk på 8722 4618

STATEMENT
The conflict in Palestine

The violence we have witnessed in the eighteen months of the second intifada
must not be allowed to go on. A solution to the Palestine conflict must be
found. It is always the responsibility of the strongest party to provide a
basis for peace, thus enabling the Palestine people to resume a normal life
and to participate in further development of Palestinian self-government,
which again will enable them to comply with UN resolutions and the Oslo
Agreement.
Since the mid-1990s, the SiD (General Workers Union in Denmark) has worked
on development projects with the Palestine General Federation of Trade
Unions (PGFTU). We have seen that - despite many problems and constraints -
the labour movement has been able to play a role in the democratisation
process and in the development of human rights and union rights in
Palestine.
Progress was brought to a halt following the new escalation of the conflict
in September 2000, the result being that hundred thousands of Palestine
workers have lost their jobs. This is true both of Palestinians who worked
in Palestine and Palestinians who worked in Israel. It is not difficult to
imagine what this situation means to families who are now unable to earn a
living through paid work. Instead of working with the labour movement to
ensure peaceful development in Palestine, the Israeli government chose to
bomb the PGFTU' headquarters in Nablus on the West Bank.
This escalation of violence must be stopped now, which will only be possible
if the following demands are met:
The strongest party - i.e. Israel - must create a basis for peace
negotiations, the objective of which must be to develop the present system
of political self-government into a free and independent democratic state.
Troops must immediately be withdrawn from occupied areas (the West Bank and
the Gaza Strip), and all new settlements must be stopped with immediate
effect. The outcome of the negotiations must include clarification of the
status of Jerusalem in the future Palestine and Israeli states.
All democratic forces in the global community, in Denmark, the EU and USA,
must put maximum pressure on the Israeli head of government, Ariel Sharon,
to force him to stop the violence and go to the negotiation table. The
starting point for the negotiations must be the conclusions of the Oslo
Agreement and the resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council, just as
the peace plan proposals formulated by the Arab countries should be taken
into account. In order to force Israel to adopt a human stance, EU member
states and others must comply with international conventions concerning bans
on the import of goods from occupied countries.
If no instant progress is made in terms of reaching a solution through
negotiation, the SiD will recommend a boycott not only of goods from the
occupied areas but also of goods from Israel. In such a scenario, the SiD
will work actively to uphold the boycott, for example through the
international organisations of which we are a member.
We urge the Danish government to join forces with the other EU member states
to work for speedy peace in Palestine. The Danish government must make
clear, unequivocal statements - not successive statements with different
messages as those issued in the past few days.
Once peace has been created, it is important that Denmark continues to
provide aid and assistance similar to the aid and assistance previously
provided to civil society organisations in Palestine. Only through the
strengthening of unions and other organisations can we contribute to lasting
democratic development of a Palestine state.
8. April 2002

15. April 2002
Are we going to boycott Israeli goods?

SiD has called for Israeli boycott because we want to stop the escalation of
violence, which we have witnessed the last couple of years.

Sharon's strategy will never create peace for the Israeli and Palestinian
people in the territory. His strategy will lead to continuous terror and
violence from both sides.

SiD's call is based on the following reasons

-	The Palestinian territory is occupied by Israel, and the extension
of the settlements has been continued during the peace negotiations and
during the escalation of violence. A peaceful solution can only be created
if Israel withdraws from Gaza and the West Bank. The existing convention on
prohibition of import from occupied territories will also apply to Israel.
-	The Oslo Agreement settled the basis for a future peace. In spite of
the considerable concessions made by the Palestinians, the population has
supported Arafat. The Israeli leader, Rabin was killed by an Israeli
terrorist because of the concessions he made. Since then Israel have had
leaders who clearly are against the Oslo Agreement and international law in
relation to the settlements. They will not voluntarily negotiate on the
basis of the Oslo Agreement and the UN Security Council's resolutions. These
facts make the establishment of an independent Palestinian state impossible.
-	The future peace in the territory can only be reached if Israel and
Palestine are independent democratic states. Camp David negotiations broke
down because Israel still wanted control of the West Bank.
-	Terror cannot solve the problems, no matter if it is Palestinian or
Israeli, civilian or state. Therefore, both parties have to stop the terror
immediately.
-	Israel has - as the strongest power - the key to the solution of the
conflict. It is a regrettable fact that the Israeli have been killed, but it
is also a fact that three Palestinians have been killed for every one
Israeli.

SiD's calls are addressed to the state of Israel. It is not a violent
agitation against the Jewish faith and its practitioners.
The conflict undermines the democracies in Israel and Palestine. The
conflict creates social unrest and economic decline for both people.

Regards Jens Peter Hansen
IT-Supporter SiD

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